Culver City, California

Mt. Waterman is accessed along Highway 2 in the Angeles National Forest. Heading east from La Canada look for mileage marker 58.0 (34 miles from La Canada) just past the closed ski resort. Park at one of the large paved turnouts on your left. Display an Adventure Pass ($5 at Ranger Station or Big...

The trailhead is located in the day use area of Point Mugu State Park.  Park in the day use area parking lot. There is a parking fee of $12/day or $3/hr.   From the parking lot, walk through the campground until you reach the old service road.  After passing through the gate, turn left at the si...

Burkhart Trail is well-defined and easy to follow through an unbelievable old growth of Jeffrey pines, incense-cedars and surprisingly, redwoods! At 0.25 miles, there is a steep spur trail near a large pile of boulders that leads to a popular swimming area, often frequented by guests of the campg...

Castaic Lake is a man made reservoir located 41 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, CA in the town of Castaic. Made up of two bodies of water, separated by a 425-foot dam, Upper and Lower Castaic Lakes have a combined 29 miles of shoreline forming the Castaic Lake State Recreational Area. The s...

For this adventure you can choose to start in a multiple of places; for the easiest parking use Oak Mesa Park located next to Oak Mesa Elementary School. From the parking lot cross the soccer field towards the bridge on the north east end of the school. Once across the bridge follow Los Robles ea...

Smith Mountain Trail is an awesome day hike located near Glendora, California. This out-and-back trail offers great views of the Los Angeles National Forest and the potential for continuation to Bear Creek for even more variety of scenery. Smith Mountain is a moderately strenuous hike with an el...

Beach camping in California seems elusive these days, but we were able to pitch our tent just feet from the surf! We stayed for two nights and felt like we had our own private stretch of beach. First, you'll want to make reservations at www.reserveamerica.com. It was fairly easy to reserve a spot...

Hello Friends! I just took a really chill overnight backpacking trip to the La Jolla Valley Backcountry campsite and I’m going to give you some details so you can have as nice of an outing as I did! The trailhead is conveniently just off of the Pacific Coast Highway, across the street from the T...

...I think out of all the State Parks in the Santa Monica Mountains, Point Mugu State Park is without a doubt the best one. Maybe it has something to do with its proximity to the beach, or the endless trails and epic views, but the energy and diversity here is just so much more wild. With the par...

The Saint Francis Dam Disaster National Monument, established in 2019, memorializes the site where the Saint Francis Dam, built by famed engineer William Mulholland, collapsed in 1929, tragically killing more than 400 people in the middle of the night as a 150+ foot wave of water crashed through ...

Located deep in the Angeles National Forest above Azusa, this short but at times challenging hike rewards you with a beautiful fifty-foot waterfall. The base of the waterfall is only a foot at its deepest, so I wouldn't rush to bring a bathing suit with you. Protected by the heavy forestry around...

Point Mugu State Park offers some amazing rolling mountains, sweeping meadows of tall grass, and beautiful coastal views. I suggest going in the spring. I recently went, and the wildflowers were blooming everywhere. There are campgrounds available in different parts of the park that you can make ...

From the parking lot at the trailhead, follow the steep trail going up the mountain. This part is quite challenging, so I recommend stretching out your legs before starting the hike. Once you reach the top, you will see your first junction. Go right if you want to go straight for the peak, and th...

Within the San Gabriel Mountains from Highway 39 and along East Fork Road is Cattle Canyon. To go through Cattle Canyon, you can access the trail head just south of the Bridge to Nowhere trail head along East Fork Road right after it intersects with Glendora Mountain Road. There is a small parkin...

The Oak Canyon Bluebird and Wren Trail features beautiful wildflowers and is accessible year-round. The trail is well kept and offers lots of shady spots. The first portion of this hike will take you up a hill, and then to a fork. One direction will take you around a reservoir and another will ta...

The distance can vary depending on where you start. It is a 2.5 mile hike from Emerald Bay or 7 mile hike from Two Harbors or you can kayak in. There are 8 primitive campsites (6 people/ site) which means there is no running water, no supplies...you must pack in everything. The campsites are spre...